Neither COL or EDM wins the cup last year in this universe.

That's a nope from Edmonton.

Draisaitl > MacKinnon
McDavid > Makar

Not really a trade proposal just looking at the roster with star players swapped

I’d say McDavid>Makar>Drai>MacKinnon. But there’s an argument to be made that Makar’s inclusion addresses a big position of need for Edmonton given the weak defense.

I’d rather think of the hypothetical with Makar and McDavid on the same team. That would be an insane power play.

Makar would be an upgrade for sure, but his skillset leans heavily toward offense. Edmonton already has a young RHD that excels at offensive creation - Evan Bouchard. Here's how they stack up at 5v5:

Draft+3
Makar: 1.82 P/60, 5.15 shots/60, 0.28 ixG/60
Bouchard: 1.27 P/60, 11.40 shots/60, 0.40 ixG/60

Draft+4
Makar: 1.42 P/60, 4.93 shots/60, 0.23 ixG/60
Bouchard: 1.42 P/60, 7.86 shots/60, 0.32 ixG/60

Draft+5
Makar: 1.76 P/60, 6.76 shots/60, 0.32 ixG/60
*Bouchard: 1.23 P/60, 8.59 shots/60, 0.41 ixG/60

*so far. This year through 9 games Makar is at 0.00 P/60 (draft+6 for him), so both guys are off to slow starts. I'm not saying Bouchard is Makar's equal, but he's already elite at creating offense in the NHL and shouldn't be ignored. He was 11th in 5v5 scoring last year among defensemen, 1 point back of Adam Fox.

...

Now do the same exercise but for Tyson Barrie.

Makar puts up elite offensive numbers, but is also an elite talent in every other facet of the game.

I'm not sure I get your point. Tyson Barrie isn't a young offensive RHD.

You could pull the same stats for Barrie (either now or at the beginning of his career) and he’ll probably show favorably. Doesn’t make him a good defenseman.

While McDrai definitely do make the best 1-2C combo in the league, I would still rather have an elite 1C and the best defenseman in the league in terms of our team composition. I think the versatility of a defenseman who provides both elite offense and pretty good defense, along with that SEVERE underpay of a cap hit makes Makar something I couldn't bear losing. Plus, MacKinnon is a top 5 center nonetheless and the player we build our offense around, so I don't think we're ever gonna let him leave.

I wasn't talking about Barrie, he's got nothing to do with this. Bouchard and Barrie are not the same player, not even close. And Bouchard being 11th in the league for 5v5 scoring in what was effectively his rookie year is significant, whether you chose to admit it or not.

You’re missing the point. Scoring 5v5 points is great, Bouchard is a young promising defensemen. But points aren’t everything. A player like Barrie (who both Oilers and Avs fans are very familiar with) puts up huge points numbers, but is not a good defenseman. Looking at just points is an incomplete picture.

Not in regards to offense. And Barrie has nothing to do with Bouchard - they're completely different players. Bouchard will be a top pairing defenseman in the NHL for a long time. He's not Makar, but he's not Barrie either.

Exactly what I mean. There’s a big spectrum of defensive acumen that separates a Barrie from a Makar, despite both putting up pretty elite offensive numbers in their career. We’ll see where Bouchard lands on that spectrum, dude is still so young. I hope he’s a total stud, I want Edmonton to succeed more than most teams